More about: Jake Bugg

Celebrating a decade in the music industry since his emergence in 2011 at aged 16, the indie blues legend and guitar wizard Jake Bugg is returning with his fifth effort Saturday Night, Sunday Morning. 

In the four years since his last record Hearts That Strain, Bugg has reinvented himself, signing with Sony’s RCA label in 2018 in a bid to relaunch his downturned career. The result is his most complete and coherent record to date which manages to combine Bugg’s love of ABBA, The Beach Boys and The Bee Gees with a contemporary pop sound making the record accessible to a new generation.

The album has had a lengthy gestation period, with the first single from the record ‘Kiss Like the Sun’ being released all the way back in November 2019. It was certainly worth the wait, as Bugg has also worked with his highest profile collaborators to date, most notably American songwriters Andrew Watt and Ali Tamposi, best known for their work with pop heavyweights Post Malone, Dua Lipa and Miley Cyrus. 

Opener and lead single ‘All I Need’—which you’ve heard on various adverts already—is the most modernised contemporary pop song in Jake’s discography so far. It does sound like it was made to cater for adverts and a high chart position (a tactic that obviously worked), but it’s a fun and catchy track regardless. There are a few other tracks that have a similar feel such as ‘Lost’, an electronic bass-filled stomper that sounds perfect for modern radio...whether that’s a good thing is another debate. 

As the record progresses however, it only gets stronger. Bugg’s iconic heartfelt lyricism and masterful guitar playing makes a return on tracks such as album closer ‘Hold Tight’ and the record’s strongest track ‘Scene’, which includes a profound crying slide guitar solo which sounds like it was played by George Harrison’s ghost. 

Saturday Night, Sunday Morning marks a huge comeback for Jake Bugg. The record as a whole combines Bugg’s classic heartfelt blues influences with various ballads and a contemporary pop finish. The result is a solid and coherent record capable of introducing Jake Bugg to a whole new generation of fans for the start of his second decade in music. 

Saturday Night, Sunday Morning arrives 20 August via RCA. 

More about: Jake Bugg